Track lighting systems are accepted electrical systems both in commercial and residential applications. Well recognized advantages of track lighting include ease of placement and positioning of lights. For example, the position of the lights can be easily changed to accommodate changes in display of merchandise in commercial applications and rearrangement of furniture in residential applications.
Light fixtures or power feeds are generally mounted to a track via an adapter. Typically, the light fixture or the power feed is mounted to one end of the adapter and the track is mounted to another end of the adapter. Electrical contacts mounted to the housing of the adapter are positioned in engagement with conductors of the track to provide an electrical path from/to an electrical source (e.g., to provide electrical current from a power source to a light via the track conductors). However, current adapters are plagued by many problems.
For example, one problem associated with some adapters is that they are difficult to install on a track. This type of adapter generally requires the use of tools (e.g., screwdrivers, pliers, etc.) and/or requires the assembly of several separate components. To install the adapter, a service person may be required to simultaneously hold several components of the adapter and at least one tool. For example, the service person may have to perform several tasks generally simultaneously: hold a bottom housing portion with one hand; hold a top housing portion with another hand; position the bottom housing portion and the top housing portion correctly around the track; use a screwdriver to secure in place the top housing portion to the bottom housing portion via a locking screw; and maintain balance on a ladder. Likely, the service person may require several attempts before successfully installing the adapter to the track. Dropping components or losing balance on the ladder are common scenarios that can result in a frustrating and time-consuming experience when installing the adapter.
In another example, other problems associated with some adapters is that they lack reliable and consistent electrical contacts. Furthermore, the electrical contacts may present a risk of electrocution and difficulty during installation.
The electrical contacts of this type of adapters are mounted in a fixed position relative to the housing of the adapter. Because the electrical contacts are fixed contacts, they have an inherently small tolerance for error. If an error is made during manufacturing, the fixed contact may fail to properly engage the track conductor. Furthermore, changing the position of the adapter can improperly bend or otherwise damage the fixed contact. As such, the fixed contact may fail over time to properly engage the track conductor, by intermittently or completely failing to conduct electricity.
Moreover, because the electrical contact is fixed in place, it will generally be positioned in physical contact with the track conductor as soon as the adapter is mounted to the track. In other words, there is generally no gap between the electrical contact and the conductor when the adapter has been mounted to the track. As such, if electrical power is not disconnected when the adapter is mounted to the track, the service person may be electrocuted. Although installation protocol generally requires the service person to disconnect live electrical contact during installation, this is not always the case. In practice, for various reasons, the service person may forget, ignore, or inadvertently fail to disconnect live power.
The installation of the adapter may also require greater than necessary accuracy when positioning the adapter in place on the track. Specifically, the service person must take great care to position the adapter on the track such that the electrical contact is in its exact engaged position. The lack of a physical tolerance, such as a gap between the electrical contact and the track conductor, can create an unnecessarily difficult installation experience.
What is needed, therefore, is an adapter that addresses the above-stated and other problems.